Roberto De Zerbi expecting further Tottenham signings this summer
Tottenham Hotspurs Football Newsletter
Tottenham today complete their pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia with a derby against London rivals Chelsea in Sydney.
Spurs started their trip with a comfortable 2-0 win over Auckland FC at Eden Park last weekend before being held to a 1-1 draw by Sydney FC on Wednesday, after which they won a penalty shootout 4-2.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side remain unbeaten in pre-season, having also won 1-0 against MK Dons in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Hotspur Way.
But Tottenham will be hoping for an improved performance from midweek when they face Chelsea in the first-ever clash between the two teams to be held outside of the UK.
With a lengthy flight, players regaining fitness, and those returning from the World Cup yet to get up to speed, De Zerbi has been careful to manage the minutes of several key first-team stars during the tour.
However, the Sydney Super Cup meeting with Chelsea is expected to present an opportunity for some players to get their first club action of the summer.
Micky van de Ven, Dominic Solanke, Destiny Udogie and new £52million signing Jan Paul van Hecke have all yet to feature Down Under, but their presence at Friday’s open training session at Accor Stadium suggests they could be in line to play against Chelsea.
Record signing: Sandro Tonali will hope to impress as Tottenham face Chelsea in Sydney
There will, however, be no place in the side for either James Maddison or Mateus Fernandes, with De Zerbi adamant that he does not want to take any risks on the pair’s fitness.
Maddison has yet to feature in any of Spurs’ pre-season games and has been managing an unspecified knock.
The 29-year-old missed the majority of last season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained in August during Spurs’ final game of their pre-season tour of Asia against Newcastle.
He featured in the final three games of the campaign as Spurs narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship on the last day, but De Zerbi does not want to rush his recovery and has therefore been cautious over his involvement in pre-season.
Fernandes, who signed from West Ham for £85m earlier this month and scored a stunning goal on his debut against MK Dons, is dealing with what De Zerbi described as calf fatigue and will not return to training until the team are back in London next week.
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Spurs will be looking for a morale-boosting performance against Chelsea before they return to England to complete their pre-season preparations against Getafe and Hoffenheim.
Confirmed team news
Chelsea XI: Sharman-Lowe, Palestra, Colwill, Fofana, Hato, Essugo, Lavia, Estevao, Palmer, Gittens, Joao Pedro
Subs: Curd, Subuloye, Tosin, Sarr, Anselmino, Emenalo, Acheampong, Walsh, Watson, Nicoll-Jazuli, Satpayev, Kellyman, Kavuma-McQueen, Delap
Tottenham XI: Kinsky, Gray, van Hecke, Davies, Robertson, Bergvall, Tonali, Solomon, Gallagher, Tel, Solanke
Subs: Dubravka, Danso, Richarlison, Takai, Donley, Scarlett, Moore, Tyrese Hall, Russell-Denny, Melia, Kyerematen, Yang, Ajayi, Hardy, Williams-Barnett
Injured: Maddison, Fernandes
Time and date: 10.45am BST on Saturday August 1, 2026
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
How to watch: CFC+ and SPURSPLAY